Pekanbaru |
| Pekanbaru is the capital of the province of Riau. Once, the town was a small village called Payung Sekaki located on the bank of the Siak river. Because the village was established by the Senapelan tribe, it was better known as Senapelan. Today, Pekanbaru is a booming oil town with an international airport which can accommodate foreign tourist entering Indonesia via Singapore or Malacca. | |
| The city is divided in two by the Siak river. Located at the north is Rumbai, the campus of oil company Caltex. Downtown Pekanbaru is at the south bank of the river. In this part one can find the shops, hotels, banks and government buildings. A bridge connects the two parts with each other. |
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Bridge over the Siak river |
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| Under the reign of the fourth Sultan of Siak, Sultan Abdul Jalil Alamuddin Syah (1766-1780), Senapelan was made the central seat of the Siak kingdom. During this period, trade developed prosperously, and the idea emerged to establish a pekan, a kind of market of which the activities were performed on certain days of the week. After the death of the Sultan, the idea was further pursued by his son, Sultan Muhammad Ali Abdul Jalil Muazzam Syah, who reigned from 1780 to 1782. From 1784, the name Senapelan started to be no longer in use, but the city was referred to as Pekanbaru (new trading place) instead. | |
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| The origin of the city is located at the south bank of the Siak river. Here, one can visit the Grand Mosque, which is the oldest mosque of Pekanbaru. It has been built in the 18th century under the reign of the fourth and fifth sultan of Siak. Their graves can be found on the compound of the mosque. |
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Entrance of the Grand Mosque of Pekanbaru |
| After being under the reign of the Siak Sultanate, Pekanbaru became a Dutch colony, followed then by the Japanese occupation. Today, many monuments still remember these eras and the struggle for independence. In 1959, Pekanbaru was established as capital of the Province of Riau, which formerly was Tanjung Pinang. |
Balai Adat |
Many of Pekanbaru's buildings, including ones recently constructed, are built in traditional Riau-Malay architectural style. One of these buildings is the Balai Adat, or Adat Community House at Jalan Diponegoro. Decorated with wood carvings and woven cloth motives, its architecture represents the glory of the Riau-Malay culture. The Balai Adat has initially been built to accommodate various activities relating to Resam Malayan Riau custom, but is now also the place for various meeting gatherings. |
| South of the city centre, not far from the airport, is Pekanbaru's museum, housing historical remains from the region. The museum is built in traditional Riau-Malay style. Next door to the museum is the Taman Budaya Riau, which comprises several traditional houses. The place is designated as the centre of cultural activities. The museum is open daily, except on Sundays and holidays. |
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Taman Budaya Riau |
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See also: Gallery > Pekanbaru |
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